VA-Pilot:Did Joe Gibbs fumble when he handed off to Brunell?

[bubba9497]

Did Joe Gibbs fumble when he handed off to Brunell?

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=92290&ran=50296

A bad thing about the NFL? A coach can win his opening game, then spend the whole next week ducking arrows over his choice of quarterbacks.

A good thing about the NFL, of course, is that a coach can win his opening game, then spend the whole next week ducking arrows over his choice of quarterbacks.

Controversy and conversation among fans and media stoke the NFL in the restless forever between games, never more than when QBs are involved. And so coach Joe Gibbs, whose Washington Redskins are tied for first in the NFC East, is deep into yet another welcome-back-to-the-league moment.

Think Gibbs is wondering if anything will ever be easy again?

He has frantically played catch-up with the modern game, to middling effect, since deciding to dust off his office cot. His players gripe about money. They get arrested, don’t return phone calls or attend minicamp.

His team gets fined for practice-squad violations. Rumors persist that he won’t coach out his five-year contract. On and on.

And now the Mark Brunell-Patrick Ramsey thing is hanging over everything once more. That’s Gibbs’ doing, top to bottom. And every day that the Hall of Fame coach lets it fester is another chip from his legend as a master of the NFL universe.

Eenie-meenie-miney-mo is great for determining who’s “it,” not so good for choosing the person to lead your offense. Decisiveness inspires confidence. Gibbs knows it. But in his second act, Gibbs is excelling at fence-sitting, and picking up the splinters to prove it.

The coach doesn’t want Ramsey as his quarterback, OK? Didn’t want him last year, doesn’t want him today. That’s less a comment on Ramsey’s serviceable skills than it is Gibbs’ obvious low regard for them.

Gibbs worked a big-money deal for Brunell, who is well past his best days, and stubbornly played him until last season dribbled down the tubes. Then at the draft, Gibbs ignored more apparent needs and maneuvered to take Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell.

Gibbs’ first mistake was not ditching Ramsey after last season for something in return. His second was then massaging the issue to make it sound as if Ramsey still had his vote.

Amazingly for a coach of his stature, Gibbs then magnified those missteps by insisting all preseason that Ramsey was his guy despite everything — and then pulling him at the first opportunity.

That came early Sunday at FedEx Field, when Ramsey was leveled by the vicious hit of a Chicago linebacker. Ramsey, who hadn’t played great but was effective to that point, was soon judged able to return, but he did not.

Gibbs’ hallowed credibility may as well have been clotheslined along with Ramsey. The episode raises serious questions as to how in control Gibbs really is this time around.

It also all but seals Ramsey’s miserable fate in Washington — this guy has been jerked around since he was drafted in 2002 — and it portends yet another storm for Gibbs.

Namely, Brunell already wasn’t the answer a year ago. What happens when Brunell turns out to not be the answer for a second straight season ?

The unprepared Campbell? The humiliated Ramsey, left to play for a contract with another team?

Gibbs mismanaged his way into this corner. His escape is in the Redskins’ ability to run the ball as well as they did against the Bears. They do that, and Brunell’s fading skills become much less of a factor.

Come what may, Gibbs has given the ball to Brunell. The more Brunell hands it off from here, the better for the Redskins.

[whitejimmy]

<SARCASM>

Wow, gosh. Thanks for that fresh new insight on the situation in Washington, Mr. Tom Robinson. I look forward to your follow-up article on how Dan Snyder is trying to buy a Superbowl by building a fantasy football team.

</SARCASM>